


Bodyswap is an Unoriginal Trope but Here we Are

by happybluemo



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Agravaine is burning in his special place in the fiery pits of hell, Arthur's Reign, Bodyswap, Canon Divergence, Canon Era, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Magic Reveal, Merlin probably can't use his dragonborn powers with Arthur's voice, Mutual Pining, Oops, Soulmates, Uther is dead like he should be, because I am not good at writing romance, but Gaius is awesome anyway, but it's subtle, so Gaius is their only hope, so neither of them will show up, this content is gay, this is continued from a work started on wattpad, this is gay, wasn't gonna be a soulmate fic but my hand slipped
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-01-26 04:12:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12548556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happybluemo/pseuds/happybluemo
Summary: The title is pretty self-explanatory.  Arthur is king, but then he and Merlin swap bodies overnight. They have to act like nothing has changed, i.e. act like each other, until they figure out how to fix the problem.





	1. How Did This Happen? You Decide!

Merlin moved swiftly through the darkening hallways of the castle with a silver platter in his hands. He turned sharply at a large wooden door, which he opened with a click and walked in, plate still in hand. 

"Arthur?" as Merlin entered, Arthur stood at one of his windows, half-clothed. Moonlight shone through and illuminated his pensive face. "I brought you dinner!" Merlin called enthusiastically. Arthur crossed the room and sat at his table.

"And you're only _20_ minutes late this time!" Arthur turned his attention to his food, then turned back to Merlin. Arthur gestured to a half-eaten roll on his plate, next to garlic mashed potatoes with a spoonful taken out of it.

"What?" Merlin bit his lip a little as Arthur stared at him.

"Merlin, is my eyesight getting worse or is my food half eaten?" Arthur remarked.

"It's  _probably_ you," Merlin said playfully.

Arthur looked scornfully at Merlin and dropped his head.

"You know, you are probably  _the worst_ manservant I've ever had."

"Then why do you keep me?" Merlin joked, but the reaction from Arthur was serious as he looked up from his food with poorly concealed horror and offense written in his sharp features. He schooled his expression into something more irritated and responded.

“I really couldn’t say. I suppose it’ll remain a mystery to us all.”

Once Arthur had finished his dinner and Merlin had got him into his sleep clothes, Arthur waved him off and said tiredly,

"Go get some rest. We've got a long day tomorrow."

\--

Merlin's eyes opened slowly, expecting the sun to drift in and piercing cold of the morning wake him, but it was dark, and he was warm. He rubbed his eyes to see more clearly, and he quickly realized he was in Arthur's room, slathered across his bed, soft blankets covering more than just half of his body. He sat up quickly and looked around the room hastily to see himself standing there, watching him, arms crossed and leaning on one hip.

"Morning, sleepy head." His own voice rung in his ears, leaving in his mind only an echoing _what?_

"What?" Merlin stared himself in the eyes. “What!?" he said again, listening to a voice other than his own, even though he knew it was him talking. He got up, his bottom half covered with silk pajamas. He looked in the mirror and saw Arthur's face reflecting back at him.  
"What. How? WHAT?" 

Merlin- or wait, Arthur- _hold on, who's who? Let's do a little vocab here. Merlin in Arthur's body is Merlin, and Arthur in Merlin's body is Arthur. Okay, let's keep going._

Merlin was so very confused. Arthur watched his own body look at itself, and then at him, and then a couple more times over.

"How did? Why are you so calm about this?" 

"I'm not. Can't you see I’m engulfed with rage." Arthur walked to Merlin, looking straight at him with eyes that weren't his own.

"Look, just get dressed. Until we figure out how to fix this, we're going to need to act like nothing has changed." Arthur's body may have been switched, but his natural leadership was never going to leave.

"Do you mean-" Merlin began-

"Yes, you will have to act like me for at least a day. Get over it, Merlin, the world can't stop for you." Arthur began walking away as Merlin remarked under his breath,

"I don't think I can act like such a pompous ass for so long."

" _I heard that!_ " 


	2. Part One and a Half- Part One from Arthur's Perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhh first of all sorry, i know exactly how long it's been and this fic has been nagging at the back of my mind every goddamn day
> 
> uhh secondly, thank you @everyone who interacted with this fic or any of my other (very few) fics in any way, including just reading, because I'm vain and I crave attention and validation
> 
> third ok y'all I have motivation issues haha #depression so tbh I'm amazed I actually managed to put this together. but I have vague plans for the rest of the fic, so it's really just a matter of writing it. but hey! the more emails I get about people commenting/leaving kudos/bookmarking/whatever, the more I'm reminded that this is actually something I could and should be working on. because I enjoy writing and I need to exercise my writing muscles more often instead of spending my summer days doing nothing but bingewatching Criminal Minds and Grey's Anatomy and playing video games.
> 
> BONUS I don't proofread or beta any of this shit so if you see errors feel free to be mean about it and I'll fix it
> 
> ps I'm trying to decide if these gay fuckers should bone later on in the story? cause I'm not very good at writing sex. but if you guys want it then I'll Try My Darndest
> 
> pps please tell me your opinion: would you guys prefer that A) Arthur already knows about Merlin's magic and uses this situation as an excuse to get Merlin to talk about it OR B) Actual Magic Reveal, Arthur didn't know, and now there's ~drama~ and probably a little bit of angst? it might just come down to how I'm feeling when I continue writing. but I also want opinions

            Arthur had been nearly ready for bed, and dead tired. He’d have been in bed already if Merlin wasn’t (as usual) late with his dinner. So, hungry and tired and half undressed, he’d been gazing at the moon and pondering on, if anyone were to ask him, the most pressing kingly matters. He would sooner leap off any of the castle’s parapets than admit that it was Merlin (as usual) who was on his mind. His thoughts were so wrapped up in his godsawful manservant that he almost didn’t notice when the man himself entered the room and called his name, but at the mention of dinner Arthur was brought out of his pensive state. He crossed the room and sat at his table, trading biting remarks with Merlin (as usual).

"You know, you are probably  _the worst_ manservant I've ever had."

"Then why do you keep me?" Merlin threw back. For just a moment Arthur found himself taken aback by the question, and the mere thought of being Camelot’s king without Merlin by his side, or the thought of Arthur ever actually getting rid of him, left Arthur offended and mildly horrified. Arthur quickly realized the question had been in jest. He schooled his expression into something more irritated and responded.

“I really couldn’t say. I suppose it’ll remain a mystery to us all.”

Arthur had spent the rest of his meal continuing to ponder while Merlin made himself busy around the room, picking up clothes and things that Arthur had thrown at him earlier. Once Arthur had finished his dinner and Merlin had got him into his sleepclothes, Arthur reluctantly waved him off, ignoring the temptation to ask him to stay. Arthur crawled into his empty bed- too much room for his own thoughts- and fell into a dreamless sleep.

\--

            Arthur awoke rather unpleasantly. He was used to waking to the sun in his eyes, but it was usually accompanied by warm down and furs, and the sounds of the courtyard beginning to bustle, and a cheerful _Morning, sunshine!_ It was usually not so gods-damned _early_ , either. But today he awoke cold, greeted only by the morning birds and Camelot’s quiet dawn shining a young, young sun into his room. The sudden change made more sense when he opened his eyes to see that he wasn’t in his own room; he was in a room the size of a broom closet with an itchy straw bed and thin sheets- wasn’t this Merlin’s chambers? That made his unpleasant awakening make more sense, even if he had no earthly idea why he found himself in Merlin’s chambers. Arthur sat up.

            When he looked down to determine which of his sleep shirts could be so awfully uncomfortable and itchy, any sense flew right back out the window. He was wearing one of Merlin’s sleep shirts. He recognized it from a morning Merlin had showed up (late) to Arthur’s chambers still in his own sleepwear, clearly hungover from the days prior that he’d spent in the tavern. Arthur tried to take the godsawful thing off but only managed to get himself tangled up in it for a good few minutes while he struggled- his limbs were too gangly. He had nearly given up hope of escaping the shirt, mentally cursing it and wishing it would just disappear somewhere, when he felt a shiver run through him and suddenly found himself bare. Very, very strange, and remarkably suspicious, and worth investigating.

            He put the shirt’s disappearance completely aside when he looked down at himself, entirely bare, only to be surprised by what he saw; as much as he’d never admit it to anyone, he knew his own dick was not particularly impressive. The dick he saw now was. Wow. Quite large, and definitely not his. He found himself strangely more confused than alarmed at the conclusion that he must’ve somehow swapped bodies with someone- very likely his (apparently well-endowed) manservant. Which had to mean Merlin was in _Arthur’s_ body. Oh, no.

            Arthur scrambled to get dressed, picking up whatever clothes he could find scattered on the floor and minimal furniture. He thanked whatever gods were up there that Gaius was still asleep and made a beeline for his own chambers.

\--

            Of _course_ Merlin was still asleep, the lazy arse.

            Arthur planted himself firmly at the foot of his own bed with his arms crossed, shaking off the strangeness of watching his own body sleep, and spoke as loudly as he could in a voice that was not his own.

"Morning, sleepy head."

Merlin stirred and soon had very clear confusion on his face when he got a bleary-eyed look at his surroundings. With Arthur’s voice, he mumbled, "What…" Merlin stared at Arthur with Arthur’s own eyes. “What!?" he said again. He scrambled from the bed, and Arthur got to witness his own body stumbling and falling to the floor before it made it across the room. Merlin looked in the mirror and saw Arthur's face looking back at him. "What. How? WHAT?" 

After the customary tossing back and forth of insults and the conclusion that the two would have to pretend to be each other until the situation was resolved, Arthur left his own chambers to return to Gaius. Merlin already knew all of Arthur’s kingly duties and how to attend them, and, as incompetent a servant as he was, Arthur trusted him to keep the kingdom and his reputation together for the time being. In the meantime, Arthur figured he’d have to play Merlin’s part, tell Gaius about the situation, and help him find a cure. And do Merlin’s chores. Maybe he could get another servant to do them? He’d work that out later. For now, his first priority was to get Gaius involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> repeating questions I posed in the beginning notes-
> 
> ps I'm trying to decide if these gay fuckers should bone later on in the story? cause I'm not very good at writing sex. but if you guys want it then I'll Try My Darndest
> 
> pps please tell me your opinion: would you guys prefer that A) Arthur already knows about Merlin's magic and uses this situation as an excuse to get Merlin to talk about it OR B) Actual Magic Reveal, Arthur didn't know, and now there's ~drama~ and probably a little bit of angst? it might just come down to how I'm feeling when I continue writing. but I also want opinions


	3. Part Two- Two Sides of the Same Coin are Really Good at Acting Like Each Other

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did I hear somebody say filler? That's what this is, mostly. But there's also an explanation of the root and the solution to this situation, even if said solution is a little more G-rated than I intended, per the request of my sister, the original creator of the work. Don't worry there'll probably still be sex involved anyway a little later if I can manage to write it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna post this a little earlier but my sister is taking too long to beta read it and I know you guys are probably all pretty impatient so. here ya go. please be mean in the comments if you feel the need- I seriously appreciate the constructive criticism.

            Aside from refusing to do chores (on the basis of being the king) and helping Gaius to find a cure to their current predicament, Arthur wasn’t particularly bad at pretending to be Merlin. If anyone asked, the king had given his manservant an indefinite period of time off of work, and he himself had to take some time away from training with his knights due to an injury.

            Arthur, although he didn’t know what he’d expected from Merlin as acting king, found himself surprised at how well Merlin was doing at the job; both at ruling Camelot in Arthur’s stead and at pretending to be the prat himself. Arthur supposed Merlin _had_ occasionally displayed moments of deep wisdom and was practically already ruling the kingdom at Arthur’s side anyway- he really shouldn’t have been surprised that Merlin made a fair king.

            For a moment on a morning a few days after the initial switch, Arthur considered leaving the kingdom to Merlin and running away to live on a farm. But the fantasy included Merlin on the farm, as well, and Arthur silently chastised himself for imagining Merlin in two places at once in this impossible scenario.

            As excellent as the two each were at pretending to be the other, it wasn’t long before Morgana caught on, and then Gwen. Gwen, at least, expressed _some_ sympathy for them, even if she mostly just joined with Morgana in her snickering. Morgana, however, was merciless in her teasing, mostly of Arthur, at first. But to tease Arthur, she had to spend a lot of time in Gaius’s workshop, and the more she distracted them both from their research, the higher Gaius’s eyebrow rose in her direction, so she soon settled for helping to peruse tomes upon tomes of possible causes and cures.

            Merlin and Arthur, regardless of the situation, still spent evenings in Arthur’s chambers together, dining and talking.

            It had been six days since the switch, and the two were sat at Arthur’s table picking at what was left of dinner and taking turns complaining about the other’s routines. Dim moonlight filtered through the windows, tightly shut against the cold night air.

            “I don’t know how you manage to sit through so many council meetings without wanting to put your own head on the chopping block. I’d rather drink that poisoned wine again than sit through another two minutes of all those old bats telling me how to run _my kingdom_.” Merlin’s scornful tone shone even through Arthur’s voice.

            Arthur huffed. “ _Your_ kingdom?”

            Merlin threw his hands up. “As far as _they_ know, yes!”

            Arthur just rolled his eyes and popped another grape into his mouth. “In any case, I would never let you drink that wine again, so you’ll just have to put up with it.” Merlin smiled at that; no matter what Arthur claimed, he did care about him. Arthur continued, “While you’ve been doing all that, Gaius has had Morgana and me with our noses in books upon books for a _week_ searching for a cure, and we still haven’t found anything. Not to mention the suspicious quantity of books Gaius still has concerning _magical_ ailments and their cures-” Merlin stilled at the mention of magic- “which is most of what we’ve been going through anyway. I suppose I’ll have to speak to him about that once this is all over.” Merlin had to tread lightly. He swallowed before speaking.

            “Those who attack Camelot don’t abide by its laws against magic. Isn’t it better to be prepared to cure such ills than be ill-prepared in the name of those laws?”

            Arthur leveled his gaze at Merlin, his brow furrowed and his lips pursed. It was still strange staring into his own face. Merlin stared right back, the unfamiliar heartbeat in his chest beginning to quicken. After a few moments Arthur broke the thoughtful silence. “If anyone were to ask, I would never tell them I thought you wise, Merlin, and if you bring this conversation up, I’ll deny it, but…”

            “But I’m actually much wiser and smarter than you. Way more fit to rule the kingdom. You might as well run off with Gwen and live on a farm somewhere like you wanted.” At this Arthur let out a bellow of laughter- it somehow still sounded like his own laugh, even through Merlin’s voice, and it resonated through the chambers like music to Merlin’s ears.

            “I couldn’t have said it better myself. Although I don’t know what the point of running off without you would be.” Merlin’s eyes widened slightly. Arthur blushed when he realized what he’d said, and was quick to clarify, “I mean, who’s going to do all the farming? Me?” Arthur scoffed, and silently cursed Merlin’s pale skin for no doubt making his flushed cheeks even more obvious. Then he silently apologized for cursing it, because in all fairness it was quite nice.

            “Oh, no, I could never expect you to stoop so low as to _plow a field_ or _feed a pig_! You might get a speck of dirt on your shapely royal arse,” Merlin shot back with a snort. Arthur opened his mouth in protest but was cut short by a brusque knock on the door. Merlin turned to face the door and called, “Come.”

            Gaius entered the room, bowing to Arthur and nodding at Merlin as they both greeted him. Merlin had been starting to get used to being bowed to; it was a little disappointing to be around someone who knew not to. Gaius spoke. “I may have found a solution to your… ailment.” He gestured toward the chair at the head of Arthur’s table, “May I?”

            Arthur nodded and waved Gaius to go ahead. “Have you found the cause?”

            Gaius, now seated, avoided Arthur’s gaze and hesitated to answer.

            “Gaius?” Merlin prompted.

            Gaius sighed. “Yes, I’ve found the cause. You’ve no need to worry about any malintent- this is a natural, if exceedingly rare, occurrence. But the cure is more important,” he stressed, “as simple as it is. You need only visit the Isle of the Blessed and stay there one night.”

            Arthur balked. “That’s it? The Isle of the Blessed is only a three days’ ride from here. I’ll have Leon gather a few knights- er, Merlin, have Leon gather a few knights, and have horses prepared. Let us mean to leave at dawn.”

            “Actually, Sire, it might be best if you and Merlin go alone,” Gaius countered. Merlin turned and raised a questioning brow toward his guardian, but was only answered with a small placating gesture, as if to say _Later_.

            “Alone? The Isle is likely still infested with wyverns. Merlin can’t even hold a sword-”

            “I can!”

            “-and I’m not sure how much use _I’ll_ be with sticks for limbs.” At this, Merlin shot Arthur a poisonous look.

            Gaius insisted. “You must trust me, Sire, when I say that neither of you will come to any harm while you are together. But you risk the success of your quest by bringing your knights.” Gaius held Arthur’s questioning gaze- Arthur would inevitably capitulate under the power of Gaius’ raised brow.

            “Alright then,” Arthur agreed. He turned to face Merlin once again. “Merlin, have our horses prepared in the morning, and be ready to ride out by dawn. With just the two of us, that shouldn’t be too difficult. I’ll meet you at the stables once I’m ready.” Gaius seemed satisfied with this and stood from his seat.

            “Then I suggest you both get plenty of rest tonight. Arthur, if you’d like to go prepare yourself for bed, I’d like a moment with Merlin alone, if you wouldn’t mind.” Merlin gave Arthur a reassuring nod.

            “Of course.” Arthur stood. “We leave at dawn, Merlin. I’ll expect to see you at the stables before then.” Arthur approached the door but hesitated. He turned and looked at Merlin. “Sleep well, Merlin.”

            “Sweet dreams, dollophead,” Merlin threw back with a grin. Arthur just rolled his eyes and left. Gaius, still standing, spoke up now that Arthur had gone.

            “Merlin, there’s more you need to do to cure this.”

            “I figured.”

            “This… occurrence, it’s… _very_ rare. What do you know about soulmates?”

            Merlin narrowed his eyes. He didn’t _not_ like where this was going, but he certainly wasn’t keen on being disappointed if he was wrong. “Not much. I know they’re… indescribably uncommon.” Merlin couldn’t help but think of the things that Kilgarrah had said about him and Arthur and it sparked a bit of hope in his chest as his heart sped up.

            “That’s right. Nearly unheard of. Now, have you ever heard anyone call you and Arthur ‘two sides of the same coin’?” Merlin paled. Did Gaius know Merlin spoke to Kilgarrah?

            “Yes.”

            “Have you ever wondered what that actually means?”

            Yes, he had. He had wondered _a lot_. He’d concluded that it didn’t mean what he hoped it meant; his feelings for Arthur weren’t possibly reciprocated.

            The look on his face must’ve been enough of an answer, because Gaius sighed. “Merlin, the two of you are soulmates. This whole thing has happened because I suppose, as far as the Old Religion is concerned, you both should’ve realized it by now.”

            “Wait, so what’s the _actual_ cure, then, if it’s not just spending a night on the Isle of the Blessed?”

            “You do have to go to the Isle of the Blessed. But while there, the two of you might consider having a lengthy, _frank_ conversation. I know this won’t be easy for either of you, especially not Arthur, but if you want to return to your own bodies, you’ll have to admit to each other how you really feel. And before you complain, I want you to know that I’m not happy about this, either. I certainly never signed up to advise you _or_ Arthur in any romantic matters.” Merlin went beet-red but nodded to signal his understanding. At this, Gaius nodded back and made for the door. “Don’t stay up too late, Merlin,” he called, and with that Merlin was alone for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please tell me what you think of the chapter I try to exude an aura of confidence and apathy but the truth is that I soak up feedback (positive AND negative) like fuckin. I can't think of a witty metaphor. but I thrive on all feedback so hello please tell me things

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment I am a hungery baby bird and I need comment worms to survive and keep writing


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